Innovativeness of regions in Poland

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to highlight the increasing importance of innovation in regional economic development, quantify the research area, and present the current ranking of innovativeness among voivodships in Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To conduct our research, we employed an aggregate measure in the form of a synthetic indicator of development commonly used in EU nomenclature to assess innovation. The regional level used as the basis for EU regional policy is NUTS 2. Therefore, for this study, each of the sixteen existing voivodeships in Poland is considered as a separate region.FINDINGS: The multidimensional and ambiguous nature of measuring regional innovativeness poses significant challenges in its identification. Following the EU guidelines, we selected a set of diagnostic variables that fairly comprehensively describe the innovativeness of regions in Poland, although with certain limitations. By employing an appropriate synthetic measure of development, we were able to rank the voivodships in Poland based on their level of innovation, providing a statistical overview of this complex phenomenon.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The presented considerations and research results offer a more comprehensive understanding of the economic category in question and provide an insight into its current state in Poland. While some problems have been addressed, others are merely indicated and can contribute to scientific discussions. Policymakers and decisionmakers may find this information valuable in formulating development strategies for the upcoming years.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This article emphasizes that there exist theoretical foundations for studying regional innovativeness, although quantifying the research area remains a significant challenge. Nevertheless, a description is feasible, and empirical research can effectively employ methods of multivariate statistical analysis.The project is financed within the framework of the program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the name "Regional Excellence Initiative" in the years 2019 - 2022; project number 001/RID/2018/19; the amount of financing PLN 10,684,000.00.peer-reviewe